PRINCIPALS’ ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS, SCHOOL CLIMATE AND COUNSELING INTERVENTIONS AS PREDICTORS OF STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN BASIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA

This study investigated the predictive power of principals’ administrative effectiveness, school climate, and counselling interventions on students’ achievement in Basic Science and Technology in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The study adopted a correlational research design. Multistage sampling procedure was used to draw a sample of size of 353 Junior Secondary School (JSS III) students in Ebonyi State. Data were collected using four research instruments: Principals’ Administrative Effectiveness Questionnaire (PAEQ), School Climate Questionnaire (SCQ), Counselling Interventions Questionnaire (CIQ), and Students’ Academic Achievement Proforma (SAAP). Reliability of the instruments was established using Cronbach’s alpha method. Reliability coefficients of 0.91, 0.87, and 0.89 were obtained for PAEQ, SCQ, and CIQ respectively. Data analysis was conducted using regression analysis. Specifically, linear regression was used to answer research questions 1-3, while multiple regression was used to answer research question 4. However, regression t-test was used to test hypotheses 1-3, while hypothesis 4 was tested using regression ANOVA. All the hypotheses were tested at .05 level of significance. The findings revealed that principals’ administrative effectiveness alone accounted for 28.4% of the variation in students’ achievement, school climate explained 16.2%, and counselling interventions contributed 11.6%. Combined, the three variables jointly accounted for 43.7% of the variation in students’ performance in Basic Science and Technology. All three predictors demonstrated significant individual and joint predictive power on students’ achievement. The results suggest that while each factor is important, their combined influence produces the greatest impact on academic outcomes. Based on these findings, the study recommends the continuous professional development of principals, the creation of a supportive and disciplined school climate, the strengthening of counselling services, and the adoption of an integrated approach that combines administrative effectiveness, school climate, and counselling interventions. The study concludes that school-related factors play a significant role in shaping students’ academic achievement and should be strategically managed to improve learning outcomes in Basic Science and Technology in Ebonyi State.